Lorin Maazel to Lead Boston Symphony Orchestra in Final Two Programs of Beethoven Symphony Cycle

Maazel Also Schedule to Lead Boston Symphony in Beethoven's Sixth and Seventh Symphonies at Carnegie Hall on November 2nd

Lorin Maazel, one of the world’s most respected conductors, will lead the Boston Symphony Orchestra in the final two programs of the orchestra’s Beethoven’s cycle, including the Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth symphonies, October 30-November 7, at Symphony Hall. Mr. Maazel will also lead the BSO in its upcoming Carnegie Hall program—Beethoven’s Sixth and Seventh symphonies, on November 2. Maestro Maazel steps in for BSO Music Director James Levine, whose doctors have advised him to postpone returning to his conducting schedule until he is more fully recovered from surgery that took place earlier this month for a herniated disc.

In his first performances with the Boston Symphony since 1972, Mr. Maazel will lead the orchestra in Beethoven’s Sixth and Seventh symphonies on October 30 and 31, repeating that program at Carnegie Hall on November 2. Mr. Maazel will also conduct Beethoven’s Eighth and Ninth symphonies on November 5, 6, and 7. Soloists for Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony include soprano Christine Brewer, contralto Meredith Arwady, tenor Matthew Polenzani, and bass baritone Eike Wilm Schulte; the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, John Oliver, conductor, will also be featured. As previously announced, Julian Kuerti will conduct Beethoven’s Third and Fourth symphonies on October 27 and 29. All of the BSO’s Beethoven cycle concerts, October 27-November 7, at Symphony Hall in Boston are sold out, with no tickets remaining for those programs.

James Levine and the Boston Symphony Orchestra 2009/10 Season
Mr. Levine will return to the BSO podium for his next scheduled concert of the 2009-10 Symphony Hall season on January 28, leading a program of works by Carter, Berlioz, and Ravel. In addition to the premiere of John Williams’s On Willows and Birches, Concerto for Harp and Orchestra (written as a gift for the BSO’s longtime harpist Ann Hobson Pilot, who retired from the orchestra at the end of the 2009 Tanglewood season), highlights of Mr. Levine’s 2009-10 season with the BSO include the premieres of commissioned works from Peter Lieberson (Farewell Songs for baritone and orchestra), Elliott Carter (Flute Concerto), and John Harbison (Double Concerto for violin and cello); Mendelssohn’s Elijah (in its first BSO performances since 1980); a Pension Fund Concert featuring all four Strausses (both Johanns, Josef, and Richard); and music of Berg, Brahms, Debussy, Mahler, Mozart, Schubert, and Stravinsky.

TICKET INFORMATION—THE BSO AT SYMPHONY HALL IN BOSTON
All of the Boston Symphony’s Beethoven cycle concerts, October 27-November 7, at Symphony Hall in Boston are sold out, with no tickets remaining for those programs. Tickets for other concerts in the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s 2009-10 season, priced $29-$115 (Open Rehearsals are priced at $19, general admission), may be purchased by phone through SymphonyCharge (617-266-1200 or 888-266-1200), online through the BSO’s website (www.bso.org), or in person at the Symphony Hall Box Office (301 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston). There is a $5.50 service fee for all tickets purchased online or by phone through SymphonyCharge.

American Express, MasterCard, Visa, Diners Club, and Discover, as well as personal checks (in person or by mail) and cash (in person only) are all accepted at the Symphony Hall Box Office. A limited number of rush tickets for Boston Symphony Orchestra subscription concerts on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Friday afternoons are set aside to be sold on the day of a performance. These tickets are sold at $9 each, one to a customer, at the Symphony Hall Box Office on Fridays beginning at 10 a.m. and Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning at 5 p.m. Gift certificates are available in any amount and may be used toward the purchase of tickets (subject to availability) to any Boston Symphony Orchestra or Boston Pops performance at Symphony Hall or Tanglewood. Gift certificates may also be used at the Symphony Shop to purchase merchandise.

Patrons with disabilities can access Symphony Hall through the Massachusetts Avenue lobby or the Cohen Wing on Huntington Avenue. An access service center, accessible restrooms, and elevators are available inside the Cohen Wing entrance. For ticket information, call the Disability Services Information Line at 617-638-9431 or TDD/TTY 617-638-9289.

TICKET INFORMATION—THE BSO AT CARNEGIE HALL IN NEW YORK
Tickets, priced at: $49, $58, $75, $102, $139, $154, are available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 154 West 57th Street, or can be charged to major credit cards by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800 or by visiting the Carnegie Hall website, www.carnegiehall.org. A limited number of seats, priced at $10, will be available day-of-concert beginning at 11:00 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 12:00 noon on Sunday until one hour before the performance or until supply lasts. These $10 tickets are available to the general public on a first-come, first-served basis at the Carnegie Hall Box Office only. There is a two-ticket limit per customer. In addition, a limited number of partial view (seats with obstructed or limited sight lines or restricted leg room) will be sold for 50% of the full price. For more information on this and other discount ticket programs, including those for students, Notables members, and Bank of America customers, visit carnegiehall.org/discounts.

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